TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang expressed confidence that the impasse on the approval of the 2019 annual budget will be resolved by members of both chambers of Congress that will translate to the overall benefit of the Filipino people.
Mangaoang, who is also the caretaker congressman of Mountain Province, said that the overall interest and welfare of the Filipino people should prevail in the minds of lawmakers so that the current impasse will be resolved that will result to the signing of the budget by no less than President Rodrigo R. Dutrete.
“WE are still keeping our fingers crossed that there will be a good development that will happen in the coming week which will be to the delight of our people because the budget will soon be signed into law by the President,” Rep. Mangaoang stressed.
The Kalinga lawmaker claimed that that impasse transpired when the Senate contingent accused the members of the House panel to the bicameral conference committee that they did not followed what was agreed upon during the bicameral conference committee meeting that the lump sum budget will be left to the President to veto and bring back to Congress for whatever purpose.
According to him, the position of the House is that the lump sum fund should be itemized so as not to put the burden on the President on whether or not to veto the same which is practical considering that the details of where the lump sum fund will already be provided so as not to impede the implementation of the government’s build, build, build projects.
Mangaoang explained that once the lump sum fund will be vetoed by the President, it will again go back to Congress wherein the Office of the President through the Department of Budget and Management will be requesting for the provision of the funds for the projects through a supplemental budget which might not be able to pass because of the limited session days from May 20 to June 7, 2019.
Mangoang said that once the national budget will be re-enacted, numerous priority projects of the government will not be implemented to the fullest that will be a big setback in the current of the present administration to heavily invest on infrastructure just to advance the state of development in the different parts of the country.
He admitted that it will be very difficult for lawmakers to be seeking funds for priority projects from the Office of the President because of the numerous legislative districts that want their projects to be funded, thus, the best is for the 2019 national budget to be approved for the benefit of the greater number of Filipinos, especially those who are from the rural communities of the country.
By HENT